2001 saw the birth of Control Human Delete, an Industrial Black Metal group from the Netherlands However, over the years, the band hasn’t really issued much. In 2003, they released two EPs, then their debut full-length album Terminal World Perspective in 2007. Another EP followed in 2011, and now we’re given the follow-up album, The Prime Mover, being released through Code666 Records. With this style being all the rage lately, is it time for the band to shine, or is The Prime Mover bound to be forever lost among the many other acts?

The audio here is rather pristine, having a very modern digital quality to it that greatly accentuates the Industrial elements. The guitars have more of a buzzing to them that can sometimes sound a bit mechanical, and the bass is rather deep in the mix, though not really being too loud or thick enough to lend the proper support needed. The bass kick has a nice subtle click that stands out against the louder cymbals and varied snare outputs, largely being a tighter sound. Finally there’s the harsher vocal approach that is akin to the style, and seems to try ushering in a bit of a ritualist vibe here and there. But, while the audio quality is pretty good, though doesn’t bite as hard as it could, the music does leave the listener wanting a little more overall.

The Prime Mover does carry a bit of a Progressive approach more than an Avant-Garde one, though you can see it’s what they wanted to achieve. “Transporter” isn’t the greatest track, but it’s definitely a rich offering with stronger Industrial elements that weave a disturbing and somewhat ominous musical environment. The vocals are also a lot stronger, which plays up the catchy Black Metal riffs that are scattered about quite well. There’s also some cleaner occultish chanting that sticks to that technological approach. “Shapeshifting” shows off some of those addicting Black Metal riffs as well, though not until five minutes in. Prior to that, you are greeted with well transitioned aggressive material that hits the listener pretty hard. “Recurrence” is another solid track worth hearing, blending the Black Metal and Industrial together a lot better than most songs here. The music is simply infectious from the very start, really using the effects to fill the background to work in favor of the not quite as short or simple guitars and drumming, the latter pushing the blistering double bass kicks a lot further, and a lot longer. The additional vocal distortions help progress the dismal Science Fiction atmosphere, as do the appropriately placed clean vocals, and the narration five minutes in that really burdens the listener with a sense of hopelessness.

Sadly, this album does have its share of material that is hard to sit through. “New Replicators” kicks off with a very long introduction that feeds nicely into the latter Science Fiction vibe from the Industrial elements, though the Black Metal performance itself is really simple, and leaves plenty of open areas. It wasn’t until around three-and-a-half minutes that things picked up to the point where it become engaging. “Continuous Data, Pt. 1” just constantly changes after a long astral ambient intro, a signature of this release. The guitars finally kick in with simpler riffs that try setting up a grim atmosphere, but end up empty. Things gradually become richer due to the subtle changes like rhythm guitar riffs and gradually enriched Industrial effects until the double bass kicks in half way through, and things get a bit hostile, cutting directly into “Continuous Data, Pt. 2.” This one has a little more technicality right from the start thanks to the eight minute plus intro part one established. For the most part it works with the flow of the songh, but can be a bit bland despite the richer performance. The simpler material eventually gives way to chaos towards the end, but, sadly, it’s a very brief shift in atmosphere, a payoff that’s not really worth the journey to reach it.

The Prime Mover has its share of enjoyable tracks, and many that are just hard to sit through. It’s not that it’s a bad album, it’s just that the music itself isn’t that engaging due to bland, overly simplistic performances that are dragged out way too long, weak Industrial elements, and too many open areas that really hurt the atmosphere. The crisp production benefits the Industrial aspect of the album, but at the same time that ends up being so limited that the Black Metal being performed by the band often suffers greatly, losing a great deal of bite in the process. Instead of an ominous Science Fiction vibe, many songs greet you with more of a blue sky on a sunny day that rarely glosses over with dark storm clouds. Control Human Delete have recorded what is best summed up as a very basic Industrial Black Metal release that really just isn’t worth your time aside two, maybe three songs.